Body language and non verbal communication can tell us more about what a person is thinking and feeling than we realise. We all give away signs through our body language – as often as every 10-15 seconds – and there can be a significant difference between what we say, how we say it, how we act and our supporting gestures and mannerisms. [more...]

Even with all the technology we now have available to help us create a presentation, content is key – it must be relevant, engaging, interactive and memorable. The perfect balance of theory, practical, visual and demonstration. The pressure is on, because your business depends on it – 'winging it' is definitely is not an option! [more...]

When you are working with people who have different personalities, outlooks and learning styles plus varying degrees of knowledge and experience, it is inevitable that you will not always agree with one other. Having a difference of opinion is healthy – but it stops being healthy when it creates conflict and resentment or leads to disagreement and arguments. This can then change the atmosphere and dynamic within your whole team or office. [more...]

In order for your business to develop and consistently achieve excellent results, you need to regularly review performance and strategies. This means analysing revenue and turnover, new business development, processes and procedures, people skills and training, as well as the overall structure of your organisation. [more...]

When it comes to effective leadership and management, one size does not fit all for each member of your team. Every person is unique and knowing their individual learning styles and personality types will allow you to communicate with them in the right way and ensure you can manage them effectively and get the best out of them. [more...]

In our experience, the most successful, profitable businesses are the ones which invest time and effort into their people as well as their products and services. They know that taking the time to upskill their staff so they become more professional, effective, efficient and productive is far more effective than just hoping that they will deal with challenging enquiries or people in the right way and not hinder any sales processes or tarnish future relationships. [more...]

Traditionally, the start of a new year is when any professional organisation reviews its strategy. Everything is looked at – from revenue to what worked well, what needs improving, recruitment, resources and what new and exciting projects and innovations are on the horizon. One thing which often gets overlooked however, is staff development – learning and training. [more...]

The key to getting the best out of your team is to communicate at the right level, in the right way at the right time. To do this effectively, you need to understand your people. [more...]

It always amazes us at SMART Way Forward how often people make judgements on a person's level of responsibility based purely upon their job title. Rather than taking the time to understand someone's role, they make assumptions which are often incorrect and can lead to miscommunication, dismissive conduct, misunderstandings or undermining. [more...]

Communication is everything. Often, it is not what you say, but how you say it. We live in a world where we expect communication to be fast, easy and concise. But we can easily overlook whether the right form of communication is being used. [more...]